The present invention relates to hosing and cabling and, more particularly, to reusable bundling sleeves for such hoses and cables.
Hose sleeves typically are used to cover hydraulic hoses and electrical cables and protect them from abrasion as well as insulate them from high temperatures. On many vehicles or heavy machinery, hydraulic and electrical lines oftentimes run alongside engines, motors, or other moving components. During operation, the vibration and heat created by these components tend to degrade nearby hydraulic and electrical lines. Because of this, hose sleeves are used to provide a layer of protection between the hydraulic and electrical lines and the engine components.
Conventional hose sleeves consist of a one-piece tubular member. Hydraulic hoses and electrical cables must be disconnected and fed individually through the entire length of a conventional hose sleeve. Because conventional hose sleeves often are made of a thick knitted material, such as DuPont Cordura®, they are stiff and difficult to work with. Installing a hose sleeve typically requires constant manipulation to thread the hose sleeve around the hydraulic or electrical line.
Because conventional hose sleeves are made of a one-piece tubular member, they do not allow for shorter hoses or cables traveling within the hose sleeve to exit at a point along the length of the sleeve. Cutting a hole or slit at a point along the length of a conventional hose sleeve decreases the durability of the fibers at that point and only encourages the fibers to fray and provide less protection to the hoses and cables traveling within.
Replacing a conventional hose sleeve also is problematic. To remove conventional hose sleeves, the hydraulic and electrical lines traveling through the hose sleeve must be disconnected and withdrawn from the sleeve. Disconnecting a hydraulic hose disrupts the hose fittings which may promote leakage. Further, disconnecting the hydraulic hose may expose the hydraulic system to contaminants. Oftentimes, in the field, repair technicians will remove conventional hose sleeves simply by cutting and tearing them off. Because installation of conventional hose sleeves is so labor intensive, repair technicians oftentimes do not install replacement hose sleeves according to the manufacturer's specifications, thereby diminishing the effectiveness of the hose sleeve. It is also not uncommon for field technicians, in the interest of time, to forego installing replacement hose sleeves, thereby exposing the hydraulic and electrical lines to increased abrasion and temperature degradation.
Another disadvantage of conventional hose sleeves is that they wear out quickly. As a conventional hose sleeve rubs against a surface or edge, internal fibers break, causing the thick knitted material to fray or appear fuzzy. This fraying causes the product to weaken and expand, thereby encouraging further hose abrasion. Additionally, the thick knitted material typically used with conventional hose sleeves does not provide protection against ultraviolet (UV) radiation. As such, hose sleeves on external hydraulic or electrical lines will degrade from exposure to sunlight and not provide long-lasting effective protection.
To ensure that conventional hose sleeves do not travel about the hoses and cables running within, manufacturers often will use cable ties or the like to cinch the hose sleeve in place. The necessity of tying down conventional hose sleeves becomes problematic as the ties pinch or place undue pressure upon the hoses and cables running within. Sensitive cables, such as fiber optic lines, will not function properly if pinched.
One solution to the problems associated with conventional hose sleeves is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,127,405 and 8,691,036 for Reusable Hose Bundling Sleeves. Although these sleeves present a substantial improvement over conventional hose sleeves, problems still remain. In particular, current machinery and devices include a greater number of cables and hoses, and cables and hoses that extend for greater lengths. This in turn causes issues with ensuring that the current hose or cable is connected to the correct location, often at large distances from their other end. This uncertainty results in assembly being completed one hose at a time, which causes difficulties in bundling and labeling.
One approach to this problem requires labelling each hose or cable with a unique identifier, such as a tag. This process is time consuming and results in large inefficiencies. Further, the use of unique identifiers such as tags suffer from the disadvantage or becoming dirty, damaged, or removed, which makes the identification practically useless.
Another issue related to the problem of identifying hoses and cables, or bundles of each, relates to service work. Specifically, when a service individual arrives to address an issue they must often trace the various hoses and cables back and forth to determine the source of a particular problem. This process is time consuming, which wastes the time of the service individual as well as the person or company waiting for the repair to be completed.
It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a hose bundling sleeve that can be easily installed, removed, and reused.
Another object of this invention is to provide a hose bundling sleeve that can accommodate different lengths of hoses and cables, allowing shorter hoses and cables to exit the hose sleeve at any point along the length of the invention.
A further object of this invention is to provide a hose bundling sleeve that resists degradation from abrasion, vibration, and UV radiation.
Still a further object of this invention is to provide a hose bundling sleeve that can accommodate hydraulic hoses, electrical cables, and fiber optic lines without the need for ties that pinch or place undue pressure on the lines.
Another object of this invention is to provide a hose bundling sleeve that is easily distinguishable from other bundling sleeves.
A further object of this invention is to provide a hose bundling sleeve that is not easily made dirty or tarnished.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a hose bundling sleeve that is visible in dimly lit or dark areas.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.